Gender Policy Dialogues

The First in a Series of Dialogues

Reporting Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses

Sexual violence is rampant on U.S. college campuses. By the time college students reach their senior year, an estimated 12% of all students and 25% of female students will experience non-consensual sexual contact. Of these victims, 80% will be women, 24% gay men, and 38% bisexual women. More than other sectors of society, campus reporting rates are low: only an estimated 5 to 28% of all sexual aggressions are reported to officials. Institutions of higher learning are increasingly turning to mandatory reporting, a policy under which all university and college employees are required to report incidences of sexual misconduct to campus authorities. In this first edition of the Gender Policy Report’s Gender Policy Dialogue, scholars consider mandatory reporting policies within and beyond the sexual misconduct reporting processes outlined by Title IX.

Restorative Justice for Sexual Misconduct: Not If But When

Mandatory Reporting Policies Protect Universities, Not Survivors

Rose Miron & Lena Palacios: In the age of #MeToo, many have expressed their commitment to preventing sexual violence. Yet, in their haste to hold perpetrators accountable, many have become complicit in silencing the voices of survivors, particularly through mandatory reporting policies on college campuses.